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Is the cost of teeth straightening and whitening holding you back from achieving your dream smile? Are you too busy to spend precious hours of your time every month waiting for treatments at the dentist’s office?
If your answer is yes, chances are you have only considered traditional metal braces to get straight teeth or only know about in-house teeth whitening as an effective way to give you noticeably whiter teeth.
Braces tend to be unattractive, and sometimes painful. Whereas they straighten even the most complex cases, they come
with frequent visits to the dentist and hefty price tags.
If your lifestyle does not allow for long waiting hours or the price tag that comes with the in-office treatments,
this blog is for you. Keep reading to explore how to get white straight teeth, effectively and affordably, at home.
How To Get Straight White Teeth?
When it comes to teeth straightening, invisible aligners offer an advanced, discreet option and as far as teeth whitening is concerned, at-home LED kits deliver results that are on par with those delivered by in-office treatments. Let’s explore both these options in detail.
Clear Aligners
The days of fearing metal braces and the consequential compromise on your looks accompanied by the dreaded food limitations are over. You can now straighten your teeth with invisible aligners that are virtually unnoticeable on your teeth when worn.
In addition to their discretion and removability, the added option of getting your treatment at your doorstep without a single visit to the dentist has revolutionized teeth straightening and made it accessible for everyone.
Clear Aligners can address all mild to moderate malocclusions (misalignments) as effectively as braces do. You can either get them at an orthodontist or dentist’s office near you or order yours at your home from an aligner provider, such as ALIGNERCO.
If you choose an at-home clear aligner provider it saves you time and money. Cost is reduced because of eliminating the middle man and time is saved since there will be no follow-up visits to get periodic wire adjustments.
Clear Aligners also offer a quicker turnaround time, by straightening your teeth as early as four months. Although the in-office aligner treatment has a similar cost to metal braces, you pay significantly less if you order them directly from an aligner provider.
You can get your complete set of aligners, for as low as one-third of the price of traditional braces. These are the steps involved in getting clear aligners at home:
How to Get Clear Aligners at Home:
1. Impressions
You place an order online and receive an impression kit within a few days. The impression kit essentially contains a set of base and catalyst putty, impression trays along other accessories. Use the impression kit to take your dental imprints according to the easy-to-follow instructions provided and send them back to your provider.
2. Treatment Preview
Depending on your choice of brand, you may be provided before and after visuals of how the treatment will align your teeth. ALIGNERCO offers a smile projection which shows a before and after treatment preview of your straighteing journey. This helps you align your expectations with the treatment results and allows you to make any adjustments to the smile projection as per your needs.
3. Construction & Delivery
Your clear aligners will be designed once you approve your treatment plan. First your personal dental molds are created using the teeth impressions you sent. Once these molds are used to create your personalized aligners, in a series of numbered sets they are then delivered to your address.
Each set is slightly different from the previous one and worn for ten days until the next. This is how they gently shift your teeth over time.
Pro Tips for Teeth Straightening
Once you receive your clear aligners, wear them as prescribed. Here are a few recommendations to get the best out of your treatment
Wear time
Wear your aligners for the time they are prescribed for. If you have opted for daytime aligners, wear them throughout the day for 22 hours and if you have opted for the night-only aligners, wear them for 10 hours daily. By adhering to the prescribed wearing schedule you can ensure that your turnaround duration stays within the average time of 6 to 8 months.
Removal
Aligners don’t come with food restrictions but they must be taken out before eating and drinking anything other than water. Consider removing them during sports that have a high risk of collision and wear a mouth guard instead. Aligners have precise contours that exert gentle and strategic pressure on teeth to align them. If this shape is compromised, so is their efficacy.
Care
Always wear your aligners on clean teeth. Wearing aligners on unclean teeth leads to germs and bacteria multiplicity because they thrive in moist and warm environments. These bacteria lead to oral infections, mouth sores, and odor.
Cleaning your aligners regularly is as important as cleaning your teeth. Rinse them before wearing and after removal with plain water but also invest in a cleaner to remove any stubborn contaminants and odor.
Why Choose Aligners
To help understand the convenience and ease of teeth straightening with clear aligners and the reason why smile transformations are becoming common with every passing day, here is a comprehensive chart:
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Transparent | They are virtually invisible when worn, offering a non-invasive straightening experience. |
| Removable | Aligners can be removed easily for brushing, flossing eating, etc, and snapped back on. |
| Discretion | Aligners don’t draw attention to your teeth and won’t compromise your appearance. |
| Clinic Visits | With at-home kits, you get complete alignment treatment without visiting dental clinics. |
| Effective | Offer an effective straightening solution for mild to moderate dental misalignments. |
| Night-Only Option | You can opt for the Night Only variation to align teeth at night without daytime interference. |
| Faster | Where braces take 8 months to 2 years, aligners give straighter teeth in 4 to 8 months. |
Best Teeth Whitening Options
The perks of getting your treatment at home extend to teeth whitening as well. To understand the most convenient and affordable way to whiten your teeth, let's look into the most popular options:
Whitening Toothpaste
Whitening toothpaste is the most convenient way to brighten teeth. Just brush your teeth as usual and see them getting whiter too. However, the results with teeth whitening toothpaste are not very noticeable since they contain only mild bleaching agents and remain on the teeth for a few minutes before they are rinsed away. This is why we recommend using teeth whitening toothpaste along with other whitening methods to give better results for maintaining white teeth as opposed to relying on toothpaste alone.
Teeth Whitening Strips
These comprise of strips coated with bleaching agents such as a mild concentration of hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. They are placed on the teeth and left to act on their outer surface for a few minutes. Whitening with strips is a widely used method due to its ease of use and affordable prices. They however don’t offer precise results and also don’t offer dramatic whitening due to low concentration of bleaching agents.
Teeth Whitening Pens
These are liquid or gel pens that contain a whitening concentrate that is directly applied to the teeth. They offer precise application, sparing the gums, and are easy to use but don't deliver strong whitening effects due to the low concentration of bleaching agent and less exposure time to act on the teeth.
At best teeth whitening pens will work well to give quick touch-ups that are sometimes necessary for a busy lifestyle. To get the most out of your teeth-whitening pens, pair them with more robust whitening methods such as an LED whitening kit.
LED Teeth Whitening
These are the latest inventions in the teeth whitening arena and contain the best features of all the methods above. Modern teeth whitening kits such as those offered by ALIGNERCO, comprise a set of pens with a high concentration of whitening gel that is activated with the LED light bulbs. The pens ensure precise application while the LED light activation enables the product to work at full capacity when applied to the teeth. As a result of this combination of high-concentration ingredients, precise application, and targeted activation, LED teeth whitening gives results similar to professional whitening within a few days of use.
Best Teeth Whitening Kit
An ideal teeth whitening kit should be easy and safe to use, give noticeable results, and also be easy on the pockets. Unlike straightening, teeth whitening is not a one-time treatment. The effects of teeth whitening are not permanent and can fade over time, and require periodic use over the span of months.
At-home LED teeth whitening kits are an affordable and convenient option that provides visible results.
To sum it up, with the introduction of at-home whitening kits and straightening kits, many can now transform their smile and get those perfect white straight teeth, without taking a step out of their house.
These treatments are backed by experts and come at prices up to three times less than what one would pay for in-office treatments, making the dream of straight white teeth within everyone’s reach.
FAQs
Q: Why do my teeth get sensitive after whitening?
A: It is normal to feel some sensitivity after teeth whitening. It should subside within a few hours. If yours persists for more than 24 hours, consider using a whitening kit specifically made for sensitive teeth.
Q: What is the best teeth whitening kit for sensitive teeth?
A: Choose a teeth whitening kit that is specifically formulated for sensitive teeth. These have a mild formula and are well suited to teeth that experience prolonged sensitivity after whitening.
Q: Can I use teeth whitening treatments alongside clear aligner treatment?
A: Clear Aligners are removable and can be taken off to go through any teeth whitening procedure, once done, wear them as usual.
Q: Can I use teeth whitening with braces?
A: It is recommended to whiten your teeth once the braces are off. You can use a whitening toothpaste, but anything that contains strong bleaching agents may result in uneven and patchy whitening.
